


Polly, Mary and Molly

by Mearii23



Category: Death Note
Genre: Coming of Age Maybe?, Cute, Gen, Maybe Romance? - Freeform, Mello and Matt don't die in this, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, OC I'm Sorry, Slice of Life, out of chronological order, there is some swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2018-06-05 07:06:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6694456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mearii23/pseuds/Mearii23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a series of short stories following the protagonist who goes by three names through her life; Polly, Mary and Molly. Each name represents a different stage in her life.<br/>Polly: Infancy through 7/8-years<br/>Mary: 7/8-years through 10-years(ish)<br/>Molly: 10(ish) through adulthood</p><p>Other tags will be added as I add more to the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Songs and Silken Braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly gets her hair brushed and braided while Mello sings in his native tongue. And Matt's there too.

Molly stared at the bed in front of her, watching Matt play on his playstation. All she could hear from the boy in front of her was the rapid pressing of buttons and the occasional grunt of frustration. But behind her, was a gentle melodic humming. Every so often the humming would pause and her head would be pulled gently by her hair, and she had to readjust so the hands holding her hair could continue their task, and the tune could continue. Before she was five, she had never heard this tune or any tune like it. The songs she heard before were common English songs sung to young children.

 

But after Mello had decided to let Molly get close, the songs she heard were foreign and dark in melody. Molly never minded though, they brought her comfort and knowledge that she was loved. Sometimes Mello would do more than hum, in fact he would sing. Although Molly could not understand the words, she loved hearing the distinctive sounds of his native language. However, he wouldn’t actually sing outside of the bedroom he shared with Matt. So if Molly wanted to hear Mello sing or even hum aloud, she would have to come to their bedroom.

 

And fairly often, on days much like today, Mello would have to do something while humming. He was never one to sit and do just one thing, so he would take advantage of Molly’s long thick hair. He would take the soft brush he had acquired (in which way no one was sure) and brush out Molly’s hair. Only when it shined like woven silk, just like his own golden hair, would he start to braid it. And as he worked on Molly’s hair, he would sing just loud enough for the occupants of the room could hear. Even Matt, who only ever really listened to the music that was on his video games, turned down the volume of whatever game he was playing to listen to Mello sing.

 

“Okay, _Malyutka_ , I’m done,” Mello said, patting Molly’s shoulder with the back of the brush. Molly pulled the braid over her shoulder to look at Mello’s work. Her dark hair shined, and was soft to the touch, woven into a beautiful braid with smaller braids throughout. She followed the smaller braids and felt them reach up to disappear just before they reached the scalp, preventing parts in the hair. Molly smiled before standing up and turning to her friend, who sat on his own bed with a smile. His own hair shined like golden thread in the light coming from the window.

“Can’t you sing some more? Please?” Molly asked, looking at Mello.

“If I sing for you all the time, it won’t make it special,” he pinched her nose before crawling over to his night stand and putting the brush away.

 

“Please, Mello! Pretty please!” Molly said, crawling onto the bed after him. He sighed and rolled his eyes, looking at the younger girl.

“Come on, Mello. One more song won’t kill you,” Matt said, setting down his game before resting his chin on his arms. Mello heaved a greater sigh before pulling Molly up to him and resting his head on his pillow.

“Alright, one more song. But after this I’m not caving to pleas.” With that, Mello closed his eyes and started to sing. And as he did, Molly admired the beauty of the song, and the beauty of her braided hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malyutka (малютка) means “Little One”. It’s one of the head canon pet names Mello uses for Molly and small animals.


	2. Pauly vs. Polly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polly plays football and discovers the problem with looking androgynous.
> 
> Edit: After taking child development classes, I realized that I made them too young to be behaving the way they are, so everyone aged up by two years.

“Can I play too?” Mello looked back at Polly as they held onto his sleeve.

“I dunno, you’re kinda little.” He wasn’t wrong. For a five-year-old, Polly was kind of average, but compared to the seven and eight year olds, they was pretty small.

“Please Mello! I wanna try!” Mello groaned before nodding for this friend to follow.

“Come on Pauly. If you don’t keep up we’ll leave you behind.” That wasn’t true. Mello would never leave Polly behind; he never had and he never would. But Polly never knew that. So the two joined the group of kids outside in the large back yard.

 

“Hey Mello! You got a tag along!” One of the kids called.

“Yeah, Pauly wants to try to play,” Mello shrugged before taking his place up front. No one ever argued that Mello would be captain of one of the teams. It was a given any time he decided to play. Each captain grabbed a colored belt, Mello grabbing red and the other boy grabbing blue. Another child briefly explained the rules of Football, no hands or arms and you had to try to kick the ball into the goal.

“And just so we’re clear, because I see some new kids, this isn’t American Football. This is actual Football,” the kid clarified. With that, there was a coin flip and the captains started picking players.

 

Of course, Mello wanted to get the best players, so he didn’t pick Polly right away. But as soon as he got the primary best, he picked the five-year-old.

“Don’t you think that maybe he’s too small to play this? He could be referee?” The other captain asked.

“Nah, I’ve tried that before, Pauly gets bored. If he thinks he can play, then why stop him. ‘Sides, he might be a great player for his age.” That wasn’t a nice way of saying that Pauly would suck, though it might have sounded like it. Each team went to their side, and with the launch of the ball, the game began.

 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, this wasn’t a formal game of football. It was a relaxed version of football that the Wammy kids played. But it meant that the rules were different and could be added to. It quickly became an unspoken rule that if Polly had the ball, you didn’t run as fast or kick as hard to try and get it back. Just like if Mello had the ball, you could do just about anything to get the ball back except grab the ball or pull his hair. Because breaking the rule would deduct points.

 

The first time Polly made a goal, they screamed happily and everyone cheered, because it really was cute. And Polly was trying very hard to play the game, and everyone was trying to let them. For the most part, Polly didn’t really disrupt the game or make it difficult to play. Although, there still were some kids who didn’t want them to play. And it didn’t take long before someone decided to break the rules. After about the fifth time someone played rough with Polly, they tripped. Everyone stopped and Mello went over to check on them.

 

“You okay Pauly?” Polly sat up with their face covered in dirt, two scabbed knees and a quivering lip. If it were anyone else, Mello would tell them to shake it off, but it was Polly. He turned and called out to the referee, “What’s the score?”

“Five to Two!”

“What?! We scored more than that!”

“You broke the rules, you lost points!” The blue team groaned and Mello rolled his eyes, helping Polly up.

“Start a new game. Pauly and I are taking a break,” There was a greater groan, though more of an “awe man!” than a groan of annoyance. Mello walked Polly over to the house, cleaning off their face with his shirt. “You did great out there, Pauly. I’m really impressed.” Polly gave a small nod as they walked to the infirmary.

 

“Goodness! What happened!?” One of the nurses asked, hurrying over to Mello and Polly.

“Pauly tripped while we were playing football,” Mello explained as the nurse picked Polly up and sat them on the table.

“Polly is much too little and delicate to be playing football with all you boys. You should be more careful sweet girl.”

“Wait… Pauly’s a boy. He can play with us.”

“Mello, Polly is a girl. Her name is Mary, we call her Polly because she’s like a Polly Pocket, as in the doll.” Mello sat in utter confusion as he watched Paul-no, Polly? As he watched them get their knees cleaned and bandaged up and their face cleaned. Once all was said and done, the nurse ushered them out of the infirmary.

 

“You’re a girl?!” Mello asked, looking at his young friend. Polly pulled down their shorts to prove that, indeed, she was a girl. Mello quickly helped her pull her pants back on before anyone else saw. “Why didn’t you say anything!?”

“Why do you care? I’m Polly, and I like playing with you. That’s what is im… impron… iport.”

“Important.”

“Yeah! I like being with you, so who cares!” Mello couldn’t wipe away the blush on his face, or the smile on his lips. It was true, Polly and Pauly were the same person. And Polly kicked butt out on the football field, so it didn’t matter. Though, it was confusing, considering that Polly wore her hair like Matt did, and wore clothes that could be worn by a boy or a girl. And Polly sounded exactly like Pauly. So anyone could make the mistake.

 

“Well, I suppose it’s not really important. What’s important is that we won, and you did a good job,” Mello and Polly high fived before going into the grand living room to do some quiet _gentle_ playing. But that would not be the last time that Polly joined the boys to play football.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Mello told the other kids that Polly was a girl, and half of the boys felt stupid, and all the girls were like “Well no shit. Does she look like a boy?” Though secretly a good portion of them didn’t know either. And Polly got better and better at playing football/soccer. Speaking of which, I used football instead of soccer because Wammy’s house is in Winchester, England. So the kids would be saying football instead of soccer because most of them are from somewhere in the UK. But the clarification between American Football and UK Football was made because from my understanding/head canon, kids from all over the world come to Wammy’s house. So that’s why that was there.


	3. It's not Polly!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary throws a fit about puberty and Mello just wants to play football

“Are you done?” Mary looked away from the window to find her old friend, Mello.

“Am I done what?” That might have been a little catty, but Mary wasn’t in the mood to play Mello’s games.

“Come on, two years is long enough for this,” Mello shoved his hands in his pockets as he furrowed his brows.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Mello.” Mary looked out the window, noticing some of the boys getting ready to play football.

“Polly-”

“My name isn’t Polly! My name is Mary!” She snapped.

“Whatever! I don’t understand why you’ve been avoiding me! I thought it was horomones or some stupid shit like that, and I gave you space, but two years is long enough. So will you either tell me what’s wrong or can we go play football? We need another man-”

 

“I’m not a man, I’m not a boy, I’m not Polly! I’m Mary, I’m a girl!” Mary stood up and turned to Mello, “I can’t hang out with you anymore! I’m a girl, but no one seems to think so! You and all the other boys have been making fun of me for wanting to wear dresses and grow out my hair. And all the girls keep giving me weird looks because I’m trying to hang out with them. No one seems to get that I want to be treated like a girl!” There was a sticky burning behind Mary’s eyes, and rubbing them only seemed to make it worse.

“Why would you want that?” Mello’s expression had softened, but the confused and frustrated look never went away. “Why would you want to be treated like a girl?”

 

Why indeed. Mary had noticed things changing, things about herself. She didn’t look the same as before, and she wasn’t feeling the same as before. Mello was changing too. He didn’t just get taller; it was like someone was shaping him to look sharper and more defined. While she was sort of the opposite. Yes, she was becoming more defined, but it was softer and more… what was that word? Delicate? Dainty? A lot of “d” words that made her sound weak. And she was crying more and every month she was sure that this “period” thing was going to kill her. No one should bleed that much and for that long and not die.

 

And for some reason, all of these things made her want to get Mello’s attention. Not that she couldn’t just ask for it, but it was a different kind of attention. She wanted him to notice her like she was noticing him. She wanted him to think she was pretty or even cute, not just as another friend or another whatever. She wanted to be single out and noticed not as Polly, but as a girl. And the stupid thing was that _she didn’t know why_. It was infuriating because she knew Mello would ask why and she didn’t have a legitimate reason. And here he was, asking why. Because obviously after two years of growing her hair out, after trying to figure out how to wear girls’ clothes, after doing everything she could to be pretty, Mello still called her Polly, and still asked her to play football, and still ruffled her hair after she spent a freaking hour brushing it out so it looked just right.

 

“Polly!” There it was again, that name that she once loved and now hated. He was demanding an answer, and she didn’t have one. Why couldn’t she just say she didn’t know? He had accepted that before, and they tried to find out the answer together. So why couldn’t they do that now? Why did she have to separate herself from Mello and the others? Why did things have to change? Why? Why?

“Why?”

“I don’t know why! This is stupid! I just want you to notice me!” Mary stomped her feet and pulled at her hair. “I don’t want to be Polly! I don’t want to be just another kid you hang out with. I don’t want to be some tag along. I want you to notice me as a girl! I want you to recognize that I’ve changed! I want you to see that I’m not changing for some shallow reason, that I’m doing this because I have to! I want you to call me Mary! I don’t know why all this is happening but I know that it is and it’s stupid! I hate this and I don’t have the answers and it’s just-”

 

Within an instant, she was silenced. And she wasn’t exactly sure how or why. But after a moment, she realized that Mello had pressed his mouth against hers, and they were kissing. Everything ground to a screeching halt. Why was this happening. But before she could absorb everything, Mello pulled back and looked at her.

“Listen to me. And actually listen. I don’t call you Mary because that’s your real name and I don’t call anyone by their real name. I’ve been trying to get you to come be with me so I can figure out what about you is changing. You’ve never been a tag along or just another kid, you’ve always been one of a kind. I have noticed you, why do you think I come after you all the time? We’re all changing and none of us know why. But that doesn’t make it stupid, it makes it hard. And you’re not stupid because you can’t figure it out, that would make everyone stupid. And I’m not stupid, though sometimes I think I am.”

 

Mello released Mary’s arms, and took a step back. “You don’t have to do this alone, Polly. I’ve recognized you being a girl, and as a guy it makes me nervous. Before, boys and girls were the same and who cared which you were. And suddenly it matters now. Everyone is separating and that is what’s stupid. I hate that because we’re changing and we’re realizing how different we are, it means we can’t hang out together. And it’s bullshit. I don’t plan on letting you get away from me. You’re too important.” Mary felt her heart race as she listened and watched Mello talk.

 

“If you want to be Mary the girl, fine. Be Mary. But you’re still my friend and we still need another person for football. So either change into some shorts or a dress you’re willing to get dirty, ‘cause either way I’m dragging you down to play this game with me. And we’re going to work out this guy and girl thing together. Got it?” Mary smiled and rubbed the tears away from her eyes before going up to Mello and hugging him.

“I’m sorry Mello… I’ll go change.” After receiving a gentle squeeze, Mary ran into her bedroom. After a few minutes, she came out in a pair of shorts and a pretty tank top, along with some sneakers and lacey socks. And to top it off, her long hair was tied up into a ribbon.

 

“Ready Poll- er… Mary?” Mello said, offering his hand.

“…Molly…” Mello cocked his head in confusion, “I’m Molly.” Mello smiled before nodding.

“Ready Molly?”

“Yeah. Let’s go!” Molly took Mello’s hand, and they ran down to meet up with the other kids to play football.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I first came up with Polly/Mary/Molly, it was because I fount out that Polly was a nickname for Mary. And I was like "How does that even work?" But then I realized that Mary>Molly>Polly. But the whole point of this chapter in particular is to kind of show how Molly is a combination of Polly and Mary. Polly is, as Molly sees it, just one of the boys. Polly dresses like a boy, acts like a boy (kinda), and rough houses like a boy. But Mary is (or is an attempt) to be a lady/woman. Mary wears dresses and likes laces and never gets dirty and heaven forbid if you do anything gross (though secretly she kind of thinks belches are funny).
> 
> Molly is a combination of the two. Molly likes dresses and pretty things and can dress up just as good as any other girl, but she also likes belching the national anthum and playing football. So while there is no doubt that Molly is a girl and likes being a girl, but there is the same certainty that she could kick your butt if you ever ticked her off for one reason or the other. And Mello very much prefers Molly over the other two options. Because it means that she's a girl (which makes Molly happy) and he can still hang out with her (which makes Mello happy)! It's kind of a win-win situation.
> 
> Also, if anyone is wondering why Mello didn't just throw up his hands when it came to dealing with Mary, here is the thing. Mello is stubborn and he doesn't like losing anything (both competitively and physically). He'd been friends with Polly since she was 2(ish) and he was 4(ish), so for about six or eight years(ish). You kind of get attached when you've been with someone that long. And the thought of that disappearing is infuriating. So basically Mello is just taking back what belongs to him (kinda).


	4. Frustration Results in Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello's been at Wammy's House for about two days and is told to make friends. He kind of forces Polly to be his friend, but all they care about is their pacifier. Mello isn't fluent in English yet, and Pacifier English is hard to understand. Matt thinks that Mello is being a jerk.

“ _Kto ty?_ ”

“Hm?” The blond sighed.

“ _Kak vas zovut?_ ”

“Huh?” Another aggravated sigh.

“Name?” The smaller child tilted their head, and the blond growled. “What. Is. Your. Name.” The little kind smiled and nodded.

“Po’y!” The blond’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“I don’t understand,” he said before noticing why the little child’s speech was obstructed. He hooked his finger around the handle before pulling, removing the pacifier from the small child’s mouth.

 

“Hey!” The blond held the pacifier over his head where the smaller child couldn’t reach it, despite their best efforts.

“What is your name?”

“I said Polly! Gimme it back!” Polly reached for the comfort item, and it disappeared into the blond’s pocket.

“I can’t speak English well, I can’t understand you with this, so I keep for now.” Polly cried out and tried to grab for the hidden item.

 

“But it’s mine!”

“You can have later,” the blond took Polly’s hands in his before guiding them up to the window seat.

“Oy! You can’t just grab little kids, Mel!” The auburn haired boy helped Polly up into the high seat.

“Not Mel, Mello. They’re friend, Pauly,” the blond, Mello, explained.

“Jeez. Sorry, Pauly. Mello just got here a few days ago. I told him to make other friends, but I didn’t think he’d be so pushy.” The auburn haired boy helped Polly settle into the cushioned seat.

“I did not push, I pulled,” Mello corrected, causing the other boy to roll his eyes.

“I’m Matt. It’s nice to meet you Pauly,” Matt offered his hand, and Pauly took it. With one shake, Matt let go. “See Mello, that’s how you meet people.”

 

“Tch!” Mello looked out the window before noticing Polly reaching for his pocket, “Fine, you have back now. But remove before talking.” Mello handed Polly the pacifier, which they popped in their mouth. They remained in his lap as they looked out the window. Matt giggled, causing both of them to look at him.

“Looks like Pauly really did become your friend, Mello.” Mello looked down at Polly, and they looked back up at him.

“Don’t get in way.” Polly nodded before looking out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I think it's kind of obvious what Mello is asking, I'm sure people want the translations anyway.  
> Kto ty? (Кто ты?): Who are you?  
> Kak vas zovut? (Как вас зовут?): What is your name?
> 
> Okay, so Mello and Matt are five or six and Polly is three or four. Mello is fluent in English within several months, because Mello is there for a reason.
> 
> Polly was a thumb sucker, but during this chapter they have transitioned to a pacifier. Later they get rid of the pacifier simply because Mello keeps taking them and hiding them. She sucked on candy for a while, and eventually just stopped sucking all together. This happens within about a year and a half.
> 
> Several years later, after Mello leaves Wammy's house, Molly finds all her old pacifiers in a box under his old bed.


	5. Leather Bound Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly finally gets an idea where Mello and Matt might be located. But it's not easy to find them, obviously. Or so she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is supposed to happen between "Frustration Results in Friendship" and "Mello had a Bad Day". The chapter where Molly get's a house was very unsatisfying, so I wrote this one instead!

“North America. California. Los Angeles. West Side.” Seven words. But Molly knew exactly what Near had told her. It was nice that Wammy’s house encouraged the children to leave at fourteen, but didn’t force you to until you were sixteen. And fortunately for Molly, she got the call about four days before her sixteenth birthday. She took the small amount of funds saved up for her by Rodger and left the next morning on the plane to America. She managed to have just enough money to fly to America, take another flight to LA, and finally get a motel room for two weeks. Figuring out what to do about food and what not would be tricky.

 

It didn’t take her long to figure out that finding Matt and Mello would be very difficult. After all, if they were easy to find, Kira probably would have killed them by now. And unfortunately, Los Angeles was a big place; even when you narrowed it down to just the west side. Molly couldn’t exactly ask if anyone had seen them. She had no pictures of them, and even her drawing skills would be no help to anyone remember. But her knowledge of them… she used what she knew about her friends to try to figure out around where they would be.

 

Matt had gotten into smoking just before he went to go find Mello, so he would be close to somewhere that sold cigarettes. Mello loved chocolate, so he’d want to be near a place that sold chocolate. If they had a similar amount of funds as Molly, they couldn’t afford somewhere expensive, so it’d probably be in a cheap apartment. So she started hanging around apartment complexes that were located near gas stations. It seemed the most logical, so that’s where she went.

 

Molly spent most of her days playing her guitar and singing in parking lots or on street corners, watching people and collecting money. Sometimes she got a few dollars, sometimes she got fifty. One time someone gave her a one hundred dollar bill, which she used to buy food. But within ten days, there was no sign of Mello or Matt. She sometimes would look at thrown out newspapers to see if there was any sign of either of them, but there wasn’t.

 

It was night. Molly pocketed the money she had earned and slung her guitar across her back before starting to head back to her hotel.

“Hey cutie~” some guy called from next to an alley, “Where you going?” Molly didn’t respond, she never did. Guys always tried to get her attention, so why should this be- Her arm was grabbed forcing her to look back at the man. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and his dark eyes made her uncomfortable, “What’s the rush, buttercup? Don’t you want to have some fun?”

 

“Let me go,” Molly said, hardening her gaze, “I have no business with you.”

“Oooh! Tough British girl!” The guy laughed, “I just want to have some fun with you.”

“I said let go,” Molly tried to pull away, but the man’s hold was strong.

“Trust me, sweet cheeks,” his smirk wasn’t something to trust, “It’ll be worth your while.” With that he began dragging Molly into the alleyway.

 

“Let me go!” the young woman snapped, putting her weight into pulling away, “Leave me alone!” But none of her words were getting to the man. She continued to struggle and shout, and then she got an idea. She detached the strap of her guitar and, grabbing the handle, hit the man as hard as she could. The guitar broke, but-

“Fucking bitch!” somehow he hadn’t let go. The man threw Molly onto the ground, and she screamed, trying to kick away from him. But he put his foot on her stomach. “I was going to make this pleasant for you, but now-“

 

_**BANG!** _

 

 _Thud_. Molly looked beside her to find the man lying beside her, bleeding from a whole in his forehead. Dead.

“Dammit, you weren’t supposed to kill him, dumbass!” Molly covered her mouth and tried to hide behind the dumpster beside her. She saw a young man approach the dead body.

“Well, at least it makes it easier for us to get his money,” the man said, blowing out a lungful of smoke.

“That’s not the point! The point was to ask if he was affiliated with someone,” another young man came over, wearing black shining leather.

 

“Dude, he’s been hanging out around here for days. He’s probably just some drug dealer,” the first man said, kneeling down and starting to dig in the guys pockets, “Ooooh! Found a wallet~ And- fuck yeah! Cigarettes!”

“Keep focused Matt. We don’t want anyone to see us.” Wait… Matt? Could it be-

“Relax, dude. No one is around!” _-Choo!_ Dammit! Why did Molly have to sneeze?!

“What was that?” the unnamed man looked around. But “Matt” was looking directly at Molly.

 

“Uh-oh,” he said with a sigh, “Looks like Mister Drug Dealer was gonna be Mister Rapist too.”

“The hell are you talking abou-“ The man in leather stopped when he saw Molly.

“P-Please! Don’t kill me! I-I just-“

“It’s okay, pumpkin!” “Matt” said, holding up his hands to show no harm, “We ain’t gonna hurt you.”

“Matt, what are you doing?” the leather bound man growled.

“Listen sweetie, we don’t wanna get into any trouble. So how about we pretend we never saw you, and you pretend you never saw us! Sound like a deal?” “Matt” held out a gloved hand to Molly.

 

“Matt, no,” the other man seemed to be getting nervous.

“Come on, dude. She’s shaking like a leaf.” Molly quickly took “Matt’s” hand, causing both men to look at her.

“Y-You save me… from that man… I… I won’t say anything,” she said, trying to steady her breathing. The two men looked at each other, and the man in leather crouched down in front of the brunette.

“You’re not from here, are you?”

“N-no… I’m from England…”

“Whereabouts? You don’t sound like you’re from the boonies.”

“Winchester…” the leather bound man sighed and took Molly’s hand, hoisting her up onto her feet.

 

“Alright, _Malysh_. Where are you staying?” Huh?

“Um… just a motel not too far from here…” Was it really okay to tell these two where she was residing, “You aren’t gonna… do anything… right?”

“It does seem kinda shifty dude,” “Matt” said, readjusting his goggles. Had he always been wearing those?

“We don’t have time for anything like that,” the other said, “You may be cute, but we’re on a tight schedule. Plus rape is a major turn off for me.”

“I’d think so. Specially after-“ A single glance from his partner immediately shut “Matt” up, though the other smacked him upside the head for good measure. Why did this seems so familiar?

 

“Do I… know you?” Molly asked, watching the two interact. Both looked at her again, “Matt’s” goggles briefly reflecting the light from the entrance of the alley, and… how long had the other man had long blond hair?

“I dunno, do you?” the blond asked, putting his hands in his pockets, “A foreign girl from Winchester coming all the way to Los Angeles must have some reason for being here. After all, that’s a long was to travel _for a little orphan girl_.” What? When had she said that she was an orphan? … No, she had never told them that. How did they know that? Were they just trying to get her to admit it?

 

“I… I said I was from Winchester, I never said I was an orphan,” Molly said, standing her ground, “A-And who are you calling a little girl?!”

“Oh please,” “Matt” took a cigarette and lit it, “You’re, what? Fifteen? You’re not even close to adulthood.”

“I’m sixteen! I’m old enough to-“ she then halted. Wait…

“Right, you’re birthday past recently then?” How would they know this? Molly took a step back, looking between the blond and “Matt”.

 

“Who… who are you?”

“Tell us, _Malysh_ , why did you come to America?” the blond asked as Matt blew out some smoke. She couldn’t tell them… even if she didn’t, it felt like they already knew… Why did that petname sound familiar?

“I… I’m…” Don’t say it, “I’m… looking… for my friends…” the blond smirked.

“What are you going to do when you find them?” Molly hadn’t thought that far. What would she do? What could she do? Pulling them away from the Kira case was out of the question. So-

 

“I want to be with them,” Huh? “They are my entire world… for as long as I can remember, they have always been there. They left because of everything that’s happening, and my whole world is empty,” Since when did she have an answer? “I know it’s selfish of me. And I’m sure I’d just get in the way. But I can’t stand it anymore! My world is too quiet without them! My world is to dull without them! Even if they don’t need me…!” Tears ran down her cheeks, “If I find them… no… When I find them… I want to tell them this… I want to tell them and I want to beg them to let me stay with them…”

 

The blond chuckled, causing Molly and “Matt” to look at him. Had something she said amused him?

“Oh, Molly,” What? “Molly, Molly, Molly,” How did he know her name? “I don’t think begging will be necessary. They both love you enough that such things are a waste of your energy.” The blond took Molly’s hand, pulling her towards the alley way entrance with “Matt” in toe. As they got closer to the city, the store lights and flashing signs became brighter, and brought clarity to what Molly was seeing.

 

Standing before her, holding her hand, were Mello and Matt. Mihael and Mail. Her friends. They looked different, very different. Both had gotten taller, and Mello looked like he had gone through Hell and back. How long ago had he gotten that scar? When had his silken golden hair become so butchered? … When did he get so tall? Matt had gotten taller too, and thinner. Almost unhealthily so. His hair looked like he had cut it himself, and he wore gloves. They both did. Yet somehow… despite how much they changed, they were still the same. Mello still wore dark colors, and kept his hair long. Matt still wore stripes, and finally got to wear the combat boots he always wanted (that Rodger never let him have).

 

The tears in Molly’s eyes practically poured down her cheeks as she pulled Mello into a hug, clinging to his jacket and sobbing into his shoulder. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and hold her tightly. When he finally released her, she turned and hugged Matt; who held her just as tightly. Afterwards, she looked at each of them with a tearful smile.

“I guess I saved myself the trouble of repeating everything I just said,” she admitted, rubbing the tears out of her face. Mello chucked and Matt rolled his eyes with a smirk.

“Yes, well, seeing as you’ve found us, what do you plan on doing?” Mello asked.

 

“I-I told you! I want to stay with you! I only have a few more days stay in my motel room, and I have nowhere else to go-“

“That’s not what Mello’s asking,” Matt said, moving his goggles on top of his head, “We already said you can stay with us. He wants to know what you want to do now that you’re with us?” Again, another question Molly hadn’t thought about. She couldn’t exactly just be another mouth to feed, but she was too young to really get a job. Plus in this situation, getting a legitimate job could cause problems.

“I… I don’t know…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malysh (малыш): Baby
> 
> I try to remind you guys of the meaning behind the pet names Mello uses, but they're also to remind me. *laughs*
> 
> If you're wondering, Matt recognized Molly the first time he saw her. Mello recognized her after she says she won't say anything about seeing them (seeing as he didn't actually look at her until he heard her voice). And the reason Molly didn't recognize them was because she was scared and more focused on getting away and her own thoughts.
> 
> \-----
> 
> I still love this story to pieces!!!! You guys don't even understand. Like, I know that uploading a chapter in September of 2017 between chapters that I posted in 2016 is weird, but this story is supposed to bounce around time wise and I didn't want two stories with "Polly" right next to each other.
> 
> Also, since I last posted for this story, I got a job as a substitute teacher at a private preschool. And as I'm looking at how everyone is behaving in this story with the varying ages, I can see that I did a pretty good job. Though I think that Mello in general would act older because of his personality and the pressure to be L. But still.


	6. Mello had a Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello scored below Near and gets pissed off. Polly tries to fix the problem. It's cute.

Polly jumped when the door they were about to knock on suddenly made a loud bang sound. There was screaming and sounds of things being thrown inside of the room, which scared them. But despite their better judgement, Polly knocked on the door.

“FUCK OFF!” Kind of an expected response, followed by more screaming. The door was opened and Matt popped his head out the door.

“Hey Polly. Mello’s not really good to hang out right now. Mind coming back later? I have no choice,” he said ducking just as a shoe flew out the door over his head. Polly pouted before holding up a bag.

“I know he’s mad, but I brought him stuff to feel better,” they said, holding the bag open, but the auburn haired boy didn’t look in.

“Aw. That’s sweet. Gimme a second,” Matt took the bag and closed the door. After a moment, the banging and screaming stopped. There were sounds of soft talking, and then the door opened. Mello’s face was red and tear stained but slightly calmed.

 

“What all is this?” he asked with a cracking voice.

“I got you chocolate. And I beat up Near for making you mad. I ripped out some hair so that’s in there. And I put in a drawing I did today. And some legos I threw at Near,” Polly said and noticed Mello covering his mouth and face. “What?!”

“That’s cute,” Mello said, choking back giggles. He busted out laughing, tears still falling down his face, “Oh my god, Polly. You did all this for me?”

“Yeah! You were sad and mad and I wanted to fix it!” Mello put down the bag and hugged Polly, still laughing and crying into their short hair.

“Thank you, Polly. I’m not mad anymore,” he sniffled and nuzzled into their hair, “But don’t beat up Near any more, _Malysh_ , you’ll get into trouble for that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malysh (малыш): Baby
> 
> Near walked away from this with a black eye, several small bruises, a bite mark and a couple hairs less than he had before. And Polly already had a fifteen minute time out in Rodger's office. Which is probably the harshest punishment Polly/Mary/Molly ever actually experienced while at Wammy. She hangs out with Matt and Mello, but she doesn't actually do anything bad. She's a pretty good kid.
> 
> Also! This is the first time Mello started using pet names for Polly! :D And Mello probably started hearing swear words from Matt's videogames or from some show they shouldn't have been watching. I'm not sure.


	7. Fate Lit by the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After word of L's death, Mello tries to leave. But Matt and Molly talk him into spending one last evening with them. And when Mello makes his departure, Molly locks the door behind him.

“What do you mean…? I don’t…” Molly stood beside Matt as they watched Mello shove things into his bag.

“It’s just like I said. L is dead and I can’t stay here. So I’m leaving.” Mello sat on the bed and grabbed some things from under his pillow, too small to be seen.

“Mello, you can’t just leave!” Matt removed his goggles as his friend pulled out an envelope from under the pillow, “Think about this for a minute!”

“I’ve already thought about it. I can’t work with Near. It’s not that I won’t, it’s that I can’t. And he’s better off being the next L anyway. I have to do this my own way,” Mello shoved what he had grabbed into his backpack before going to the closet.

“Dude, you’re not thinking rationally. L was… he was our everything. For someone like that to die, you don’t get over that in a month, let alone an hour!” Mello didn’t respond, continuing to grab things out of their closet.

 

Molly went over and wrapped her arms around Mello, pulling herself to his back.

“Please don’t go… If you go… Everyone will…” While she had no relationship with L, she did have a relationship with Mello. And having him out of her life… She clenched her jaw and buried her face into the black cotton of Mello’s shirt, clamping her eyes tight to keep her burning eyes from releasing tears. If he left, she knew what would happen. Eventually Matt would leave to go after Mello. And regardless of if Mello left or not, Near would leave to take L’s place. And then her whole world would be empty. “Please Mello… Don’t go away…” Her voice shook, and it took all of her strength to push out words and not sobs. She felt his hand over hers, neither pulling them away or holding them close.

 

“I can’t stay… I’m sorry…” Molly sunk to her knees as her hands tried to keep hold of Mello’s shirt. Why...

“At least let me go with you!” Matt snapped, “I can help! I know you’re going after Kira, and if anyone can help you track him down, it’s me!”

“No one can come with me, Matt. Not you, not Molly, no one,” Mello gently pried Molly’s hands off his shirt, and stepped out of the loop of her arms.

“Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn! At least try to do things Rodger’s way! Do you really-”

“I CANNOT DO IT. DON’T YOU GET IT?! IF THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY, I’D DO IT. BUT THERE ISN’T,” Mello’s outburst left the room in an uncomfortable silence, save for Molly’s occasional sniffling.

 

The rest of Mello’s packing happened in silence. He set his backpack on his bed and paused, thinking if he was missing anything.

“Could you at least stay for dinner?” Mello and Matt looked over at Molly, who hadn’t moved. She looked up at Mello with tearful eyes, “Can’t we just have one more meal with you before you go?” It wasn’t too much to ask. Mello didn’t have any commitments to a cab or a flight, so waiting a few hours wasn't out of the question.

“I’ll do you one better,” Mello stepped away from his bag before sitting on the bed, “I’ll eat with you and then I’ll see you both to bed. And then I’ll go. Does that sound fair?” He looked to Molly and then to Matt. Matt gave a single nod, and Molly nodded shakily.

.

.

.

Before dinner, the three participated in grace; holding hands with their heads bowed. Though even the best mashed potatoes and most amazing meatloaf taste of ash against their tongues, because all they could think about was their separation. They all washed before getting ready for bed, and Molly went to Mello to have her hair braided one last time. Even Mello’s usual ritualistic humming was a bit shaky, knowing this was the last time he would do it for his friends. With tear stained faces and sounds of sniffles and whimpers. The three crawled into Mello’s bed and cuddled close together, and fighting back the tremble in his voice, Mello sang one last lullaby to the quivering frames beside him and finally turning off the light.

. . .

Around two in the morning, after making sure Matt and Molly were asleep, Mello slipped out from between them and quietly gathered his things. Sneaking out of Wammy’s house was easy, he had done it enough times that it was effortless. Keeping himself together long enough to get through a suddenly impossibly large facility? That was difficult. He had to stop a couple times to take a breath before continuing. After what seemed to take an eternity, Mello finally made it to the front door. Wammy’s was not an armed facility, it didn’t even have an active alarm system, all Mello had to do from this point was unlock the front door, hop the fence and-

“Mello?” He had to remind himself to breathe as he turned to find Molly at the top of the stairs.

 

“You caught me,” Mello said, turning to completely to face her, “I hoped I could get out before you woke up.”

“They’ll be mad if you leave the door unlocked.” Molly’s words caused the gears in his brain to stall. What? “I know I can’t stop you… And I hate that you have to go… But I just… I just wanted to say goodbye.” Fresh tears threatened to form in Mello’s eyes, and he once more had to remind himself to breathe.

“Okay.” It was the best he could manage as Molly walked down the stairs. Mello unlocked the door and opened it, looking into the dark night. There was no moon to guide him, but the stars lit the way. He stepped out onto the front step and turned to see Molly holding the door.

 

“I suppose this is goodbye?” Mello asked, forcing a smile.

“Goodbye means I’ll never see you again. I wouldn’t let that happen. We’ll see each other again, I promise,” Molly said with a firm nod. Mello’s smile was no longer force, and he even chuckled a bit.

“Then… how about ‘I’ll be seeing you’?” he suggested.

“Yeah. I’ll be seeing you. So don’t to something stupid,” Molly said with a cheeky smile. Mello had to keep from laughing.

“I’ll be seeing you, my _Malyutka_.” And with that, Mello headed off to the gate and beyond. Molly closed the door, and with the soft click of the lock, sealed their fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, you guys. I cried super hard while writing this~ ;_; Like, this was so hard to write. But I wanted to get it out because I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LATER WHEN I DON'T HAVE THE IDEA.
> 
> Friendly reminder, Malyutka means little one.  
> Mello has three pet names of Molly: Malyutka (little one), Malysh (baby) and Kotenok (kitten)! The reasoning is that Molly always has been (and always will be) smaller/shorter than Mello. So he refers to her by her adorable height. Malysh is used the least amount until he reunites with Molly, then it becomes most used.
> 
> Side note, the farther apart the periods are (ex. "..." ". . ." etc.) the longer the period of time is that has passed. So the first set is about four or five hours, and then the second set is less than that. (Imagine the times as you will.)


	8. Hail Mary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wammy kids go to church, and Molly asks Mello if he thinks she was named after Virgin Mary. His answer makes her blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for having most of this just be description. The rest of my idea sort of died after the conversation.

Every Sunday, the children of Wammy’s house went to Morning Mass. They would sit in the pews, listen to the priest, read the scriptures, sing the hymns, eat the “body of Christ” and drink the “blood of Christ”, everything. Normally, children were sent to Sunday School. However, Wammy’s children sat through all of mass with the adults. Quiet and well behaved; toddlers, young children, older children, preteens, all of them sat and participated.

 

Molly loved Sundays; it was the one day that she could dress in lacey dresses and pretty clothes without Mello or Matt suggesting that she change into her “usual” clothes. In fact, they encouraged her to dress up. When it came to wearing one’s “Sunday Best”, Molly had it down to an art. Some argued that she looked too fancy, but most of the adults said she looked like a doll. Mello would brush and braid her hair into two braids tied with ribbons, she’d put on nice stockings, Maryjane shoes that shined in the light, and her most beautiful dress topped off with a matching sunhat.

 

Mello and Matt knew that Rodger would scold them if they didn’t weird their “Sunday Best”, but theirs wasn’t nearly as fancy as Molly’s. Whether it was because they didn’t really care, they didn’t want to spend the money on stuff like that, or that it was a silent agreement that they would let Molly be the most attention grabbing of the bunch, no one said. Mello brushed his hair nicely, wore a black button up shirt and some “nice” shoes (as in shoes that he didn’t play football in), while Matt wore a white button up shirt over his striped shirt and pants that weren’t stained and kept his goggles in his pocket.

 

The three always walked together to mass, Molly holding Mello’s hand and Matt following while playing on his game. When they got to the pews, they always went to sit in the same order; Mello first, then Molly, and then Matt. Rodger monitored all of the children during mass, so Matt never could play his game while mass was going on. Thus Matt usually looked around at the stained glass windows and paintings while Mello softly explained to Molly what the priest was preaching. For Molly, the words in the bible were like another language, and Mello was happy to translate. He explained the meanings and taught her how to recite the “Hail Mary” and “Our Father” chants for the rosary.

 

“ _Hail Mary._ ”

“ _Hail Mary._ ”

“ _Full of grace._ ”

“ _Full of grace._ ”

“ _The lord is with thee._ ”

“Mello?” The blond looked at his friend with an arched brow, “If the virgin mother’s name is Mary, does that mean I’m named after her?” That was something neither of them thought about before. Molly’s real name was Mary Lee Ann Richards, but because of how Wammy was run, no one called her that. Mello knew her real name, just as she knew his, but he never thought about the connection between her name and the virgin mother.

“I’m not sure. Maybe Rodger or Mister Wammy knows… But that’d be something you’re parents would have decided…” Mello explained, sitting back against the bench.

 

“Oh… What do you think?” Molly asked, looking at the rosary in Mello’s hands. Why was she asking him?

“If I had to guess, they knew you were someone special. So they wanted to name you after the most special woman that they knew of.”

“Mello!” he looked over at Molly to find her face bright red, “Don’t say stuff like that!”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked me!”

“Still!”

“Let’s go back to the rosary; _Hail Mary._ ”

“ _Hail Mary._ ”

“ _Full of grace._ ”

“ _Full of grace._ ”

“ _The lord is with thee._ ”

“ _The lord is with thee._ ”

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, lots of doujinshi's and fanfics I've read imply that Mello is Catholic, and a few have said that the children at Wammy's house go to morning mass. I was raised Catholic, and even though I identify as agnostic I find comfort in a lot of Catholic rituals. I don't remember half of the "Hail Mary", and I know maybe two lines of the "Our Father". My mom is trying to show me how to do the rosary again, but remembering the verses is really hard...
> 
> So forgive me if I didn't write the "Hail Mary" correctly, I just wrote the parts I was... more sure of. Mello is saying each part and letting Molly repeat what he says so she can learn it. Matt's probably fallen asleep.


	9. Asian or European?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polly tries to figure out whether Russia is part of Asia or Europe. Mello answers simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used this article to answer the question myself: https://www.quora.com/Is-Russia-an-Asian-or-European-country-Why

It had been bugging Polly for the past three days, it was driving her crazy! How could everyone just live happily oblivious to something like this?! Why did no one ask this question?! Did no one else care? Did everyone know the answer? It didn’t seem like it, and trying to find the answer on her own was just… AAAAAAAGH!!!!!

 

In one of Polly’s classes, they were taught about different cultures based on their location in the world. The teacher brought in a map to see if the children could identify where they were from. Polly had no idea, seeing as she had been at Wammy’s house for as long as she could remember; thus she ended up pointing to England just to be done with it. But there was one thing on the map that drove her nuts: Russia.

 

It was huge, and sat above Europe and Asia, which brought about the question, “Is Russia part of Europe or Asia?” Some of the children said it was part of Europe, some of them said Asia, some of them didn’t know nor cared, and the teacher’s just threw back the question, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking you!” This response resulted in a scolding and a suggestion to look it up. But the books were vague and all five of the computers were occupied, so Polly was faced with a dead end.

 

“What’s got you all pouty, _Malyutka_?” Polly looked up to find Mello standing over her.

“No one can answer my question and I can’t find the answer!” she huffed, crossing her arms.

“Oh? What do you want to know?” Could he really know the answer…?

“Is Russia part of Europe or Asia?”

“Neither.”

“Huh?!” Polly looked dumbfounded as she looked at Mello.

 

“Russia may use European currency, but the best way you can describe Russia is slavyanophilic or eropeic. So in a way, it is neither and both at the same time,” the blond explained with a smirk.

“How do you know?” It seemed like a dumb question once Polly voiced it, but Mello just shrugged.

“Where do you think I’m from?” … Polly almost smacked herself. Of course. With a Russian name like Mihael Keehl, it only made sense that he would be from Russia.

“So… are you erope… slayvah… uh…”

“I’m Russian. Not Asian, not European, no Eropeic or Slavyanophilic. I’m Russian,” Mello interrupted, covering his friend’s mouth.

“But you’re-“

“Russian.”

“But-!”

“Russian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has neither been confirmed or denied that Mello is Russian, but so many fans have pushed it that it's just my head cannon.
> 
> This chapter was just kind of an excuse for me to look up the answer myself. It's interesting that people from both Europe and Asia migrated to Russia and that the people there have just decided that they are neither and both. And Polly is really acting like how I've mentally been about this particular topic. Because it's like, most people are "boiled down" two five races: Asian, European, African, Southerner/Islander and Tribal. So because Russia doesn't "boil down", it's frustrating to figure out. So now it's six.
> 
> I'm sorry if that offended you, but it's more trying to simplify something very complex. And I didn't go into detail about Russia's view on their "race" because it doesn't have anything to do with the story.


	10. Only More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello is reminded of why he can never dispose of Molly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a hit of inspiration from listening to "Heathens" by twenty one pilots.

“You don’t know who I am anymore.” Molly looked up from her place on the couch, looking at Mello. He was drying his hair with a towel, only wearing his leather pants and exposing the large burn scar from the middle of his face down the left side of his torso and shoulder to his ribs.

“What?” Molly arched a brow.

“You don’t know who I am anymore, Molly. I’ve changed a lot since I was fourteen,” Mello stated, “I’m not the same person I was when we separated.”

“Expecting you to be the same person is stupid,” the brunette said, putting down her sketch book, “Four years would change anyone. I’m not the same as I was when I was twelve, so why would you be the same?”

 

“You don’t get it Molly,” the blond approached her in almost a stalking manner, “I’ve changed far more than you could ever imagine.”

“Then tell me,” her green eyes stared right back into the ice cold eyes of his blue ones, “Tell me.”

“It will change the way you look at me.”

“That’s for me to determine.”

“You’ll hate me.”

“We’ll find that out.”

“You’ll regret looking for me.”

“Prove it.” Molly was unwavering, and neither was Mello.

 

“I prostituted myself to get into the mafia. I starved myself and did drugs to make myself fit into their mold. I’ve slept with countless women _and men_ , more than I could ever possibly remember. I’ve killed people; people who slept with me and thought I held them of high value. I’ve used millions of people, and I can tell you the name and describe the face of every person I’ve killed. All of them were worthless to me. I’ve done everything I can do to get my hands on the Death Note. And I had it. I’ve even scared Shinigami with how soulless and dead I am inside. I will continue doing whatever it takes, sacrificing everything it takes, to get ahead of Near. I will do _anything_.”

 

There was a moment where Mello just stood, looming over Molly with a soulless stare. And she stared back.

“You haven’t changed at all,” those five words almost made Mello recoil.

“What…”

“You’ve always been the kind of person to sacrifice everything to get what you want. No cost was too high, no task was too difficult, no obstacle was to wide, nothing could get in your way when you set your mind to it,” Molly stood before Mello, lifting her hand just above his blond hair, “Whether it’s your mind,” hovered lower to his stomach, “Your body,” back up just above his chest, “Your soul. You have always and will always give your everything to obtain your rightful place as number one.”

 

Molly moved her hand so it was close to her own cheek, almost in an innocent pose. “I have long since accepted that this is who you are. There is part of me that is saddened that it has gotten to this point, that you have used your very being as a tool, because you are more than that. You have always had the ability to make something of nothing, and use it to your advantage. None of what you have told me surprises me, nor does it change my mind of who you are,” her hand moved to rest over her heart, and her other hand was placed over his. “You are you, only more. And I am me, only more.”

 

“How can you be so accepting?” Mello’s eyes narrowed.

“Because, since I first met you, you have always been evolving and changing. A kaleidoscope of energy, intelligence, determination, charisma, always in metamorphosis. I’ve long since accepted that there are very few things that stay consistent about you, and one of those things is the constant change,” Molly took a hold of the rosary around Mello’s neck, “You will always change, you will always hate to lose, you will always reach for the best, you will always do whatever it takes, and you will always fight,” she released the rosary and lowered her hands, taking a step back, “Am I wrong?”

 

Mello looked at Molly from head to toe. When… when had she changed? That night he and Matt found her, he thought she hadn’t changed at all. But… When had she become so ballsy? When did she gain the courage to stand up to him? When… when was the last time anyone had stood up to him?

 _“I said Polly! Gimme it back! It’s mine!”_ Huh?

 _“I’m not a man, I’m not a boy, I’m not Polly! I’m Mary, I’m a girl!”_ That’s right.

 _“I want you to see that I’m not changing for some shallow reason, that I’m doing this because I have to!”_ It’s always been Molly. She’s always been this way. She was never afraid to stand up to Mello. Despite changing, she would always stand up to Mello.

 

Because she knew. The others, those fools who slept with him, who gave him drugs, who called him their ally, they thought they were on the same level as Mello. They thought that they could stand beside him and think the same way he did. But they were all mistaken. And they all were dead. But Molly. She knew. She knew she didn’t think the same way he did, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t on the same level as him. In her own way, her own flawless, pure way, she was just as dangerous as he was. Because she wasn’t foolishly brave, she knew exactly what she was getting into, and accepted whatever would happen. And it had always been that way… and now she was even more.

 

“Heh,” Mello snickered. He then grabbed Molly by the back of her neck, pulling her into a harsh kiss. She was just as soft as he remembered; her hair, her skin, her body, her lips. “I guess salvation is out of both of our reach, _Malysh_. Then I have no regrets dragging you to Hell with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malysh (малыш): Baby
> 
> \------
> 
> In all honesty, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for this chapter. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding what kind of person Molly is, but then I remember who her friends are. It's not like she doesn't get scared, but she knows with Mello and Matt that the best way to get her point across is to stand her ground. She does get scared of Mello, but her belief in his relationship with her is what keeps her from backing down. Since the beginning, she's stood up to him, and he's respected her for it. She doesn't over-step his dominance, but she shows that she's not a push over, and I feel like that's why I feel like their relationship works.
> 
> ~~~~~
> 
> Also! I'd like to make a shout out to a fanfiction.net author: Dlvvanzor. They wrote a fanfiction back in 2009 called "Leather in the Mirror", and their depiction of Mello is where I take a lot of inspiration for my depiction of Mello. The backstory Mello explains in this chapter takes a lot of elements from "Leather in the Mirror". I felt bad for wrapping it all into a paragraph, because Dlvvanzor did such a good job in their 5,950 word story. *laughs*


	11. Fit the Mold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary's having a hard time fitting in, and Near explains why normalcy is overrated.

“I dunno, Polly…”

“It’s Mary.” The girls looked between each other before looking at the brunette.

“Shouldn’t you be playing football with Mello?” Linda asked, “Dolls bore you, right?”

“Who says I didn’t change my mind?” Mary pushed, gripping onto her skirt, “I want to try playing pretend with you guys.”

“You won’t get it.  We’re-“ Linda held up her hand.

“Okay. We’re playing house,” she said with a smile, “I’m the mom, Sally is the daughter and Caren is the dog.”

“O-Oh, I see… So… who can I be?” Mary asked, smiling back.

“You can be the dad,” Linda stated, “You know the most about boys anyway.”

“Wh… what?” Mary’s smile faltered.

 

“That totally makes sense!” Sally giggled, “Seeing as she’s always around Mello and Matt, she’d totally-“

“That’s not fair!” Mary snapped, “I am just as girly as you guys! You can’t just make me the dad because I’m friends with boys!”

“Well, if you want to play with us, you have to play by our rules,” Caren said, playing with her hair, “It’s not like I want to play the dog, but seeing as I like being on the floor-“

“That’s not happening! I’m not gonna let you bully me into playing a boy!” Mary felt tears burning her eyes.

“Well, you can’t bully us into seeing you as anything other than tomboy Polly,” Sally said with a snicker. The girls giggled as Mary ran off. She didn’t know where she was going until she collapsed into a ball on a cushion.

 

She couldn’t stop the tears as she sobbed into her hands. Why… why couldn’t anyone take her seriously?! She wanted to be a girl! She wanted to wear pretty things and she’d worked so hard to get her hair to grow to her shoulders. She was so lonely and bored and tired of no one taking this transformation seriously!

“People tend to try to ignore drastic changes,” Huh? “For some reason, people find it logical to ‘ignore it and hope it goes away’ when it comes to things that force them to change. Whether it’s their behavior, their surrounding, their view, people don’t generally like change.” Mary sat up to find that she was in the grand play room… with Near. “However, if things become stagnate for too long, people get bored. So finding the even medium is the easiest way to acceptance.”

 

“How would you know?” Mary asked, wiping away her tears.

“Mello is constantly changing. He’s like a rapidly flowing river; always moving, always shifting, never stopping, never yielding. There is something alluring to people about trying to stop something like that. Perhaps to try and keep up? It’s frustrating and hard to ignore,” Near held up a piece of his milk puzzle, “I’m the opposite. I’m like this puzzle. I never change, I never adjust, I never move. I bore people because I would rather sit and observe than participate. Mello forces people to accept him, I accept that the only means of attention is through force. Both can and often do cause a negative response.”

 

“But you two have a choice!” Mary snapped sitting up straight on the window seat, “You choose to be that way! I don’t have that choice! Because I’m a girl, I have to make people notice me! I have to make people like me and find me appealing! I have to find someone who wants to see me change into this stupid mold that every girl is supposed to fit into!”

“Says who?” her brain stopped, “Who says you have to fit into that mold? I’ve never thought of you as anything besides who you are, and I’ve never expected you to be anyone besides who you are. You are Polly, friend of Mello and Matt, art protégé, trying out being more feminine. Nothing else. You are who you are, and the only thing that will change is that you will become more.”

 

“More…? More what?” Mary asked, standing up.

“More you. More of what defines you. That’s all growing up is; becoming more you. And rejecting that is being a sore loser at life,” Near snapped the last piece of the puzzle into place before looking at it, “I hate to lose, so I tend to cheat. I have no intention of being more,” he then looked at Mary, “Do you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this might be a bit confusing to anyone reading this. Polly/Mary/Molly doesn't hate or even really dislike Near. The relationship she has with him is very flexible because of how detached they are from each other, and their interactions vary based on the situation that they are put in. Basically Near uses Polly/Mary/Molly as the only connection to Mello available.
> 
> I have come to realize that the separation between Mary and Mello is very long (most 8 year olds don't have the patience or attention span to hold onto something for two days, let alone two years), but I honestly don't know how long it would take for her to grow her hair out to below her shoulders (seeing as Polly had a bowl cut before). That's basically the only reason I've left that very unrealistic detail in there.
> 
> Side note, I have actually seen this kind of behavior among children when it comes to the girls. Little girls can be savage, dude...


	12. It was Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly breaks her arm trying to get a football/soccer ball down from a tree. Mello feels guilty and "doesn't" cry.

“So?” Mello stopped mid-pace to look up at the nurse, “What’s wrong? What happened to Molly?” In truth, he had a pretty good idea what had happened. Molly was climbing one of the trees to get back their football, but part way up, the branch broke and she fell. There was a good chance something was sprained, if not broken.

“She’s broken her arm and fractured her shoulder,” the nurse said flatly, “The doctor is casting her up. She won’t be playing football with you boys anytime soon…” She looked at Mello with slight irritation, “Honestly, what were you thinking sending her up there?”

 

“I didn’t-!” Before Mello could rebuttal, the door opened to reveal the doctor and Molly. Her arm was in a sling, and a pink cast peeked from under the blue material.

“Now, no strenuous activity for three weeks. Got it?” the doctor said to the girl. However, she didn’t get a chance to respond.

“Molly!” Matt and Mello ran over to her and gently placed their hands on her back.

“You’re okay, right?” Matt asked, lifting up his goggles.

“Are you hurting anywhere?” Mello’s brows furrowed in worry.

 

“No more than expected, I guess,” Molly said with a half smile. She had a few band aids covering the scratches on her cheek and other arm, but besides the cast and sling she looked okay. The boys nodded, Matt sighing in relief, and the three of them left the health office and headed towards the boys room. Once there, Mello helped Molly get onto his bed, and Matt sat in front of his Playstation.

“Jeez, what made you think climbing up there was a good idea?” Mello scolded as he undid Molly’s hair tie.

“Well, you weren’t about to do it! And it takes four days to order a new ball!” Molly argued with a pout.

 

“No duh I wasn’t gonna climb that! You broke your arm, Molly! None of us could get that ball without breaking a branch and probably a bone!” Mello snapped, “And I told you not to!”

“I thought I could do it. I’m not as heavy as you or Matt and I’m the best climber out of all of us,” Molly huffed as she felt Mello beginning to brush her hair.

“She’s got a point,” Matt said, though partly distracted by his game, “She did get higher than we could have, and she almost reached the ball.”

“That’s not the point!” Mello growled before yanking on Molly’s hair, causing her to yelp and look back at him, “You did something stupid! You got hurt!” Molly hadn’t realized until she looked at him how much this upset him.

 

“Mello…” She turned so she was facing him, “Mello… I’m okay-“

“No you’re not!” Mello snapped, “You broke your arm! You fractured your shoulder! You got hurt and I-!” He shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth. He couldn’t stop her. He couldn’t save her. He couldn’t protect her…

“Mello, listen to me!” Molly took Mello’s hand, “I’m okay. Yeah, I broke my arm and messed up my shoulder. But I’m okay! I’m still here. I’m still here with you and Matt and I’m not dead. You don’t have to cry.”

“I’m not crying,” Mello sniffled as he wiped his tears off his face, “I don’t cry.”

“Then what’s with the tears?” it wasn’t really a question, though Molly arched a brow.

 

“Sh-Shut up. I don’t cry,” Mello glared at Molly through his tears. She shook her head before pulling him into a one armed hug.

“It’s not your fault Mello,” she said softly, “It’s mine. And it’s okay. I’m okay. You did nothing wrong.” Something about her words made the blond bury his face in her shoulder and let his tears flow. It’s not his fault. She’s okay. He did nothing wrong. It was all true. And it was okay. It was all okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The live in England, so football=soccer.
> 
> Molly spent the next three weeks as the referee and attempting to play Matt's video games (and failing miserably). The whole incident was referred to as "The Football Fall" followed by "The Time of Massive Boredom" by Matt. Molly and Mello can't find the will to disagree.
> 
> Also, Mello decided that from then on, Molly wasn't allowed to climb trees.


End file.
